My name is Rachel Samocha. I am the Partnership coordinator at the Weizman school in Akko.

From the beginning of the 2005 school year, the Weizman school in Akko has been participating in an educational activity in conjunction with Akiva Academy from Youngstown, Ohio.

During the year, students in Grade 5 from both schools enjoyed a reciprocal relationship that included many diverse activities.

This year (2006), we expanded the partnership connections and, today, there are links with three classes from the Akiva Academy. Students from Grades 4b, 5b and 6b are enjoying warm and close ties with their peers from Youngstown.

This year we also started a joint activity with another school from the partnership community: David Stone Hebrew Academy, Toledo, Ohio. Students from Grades 4a, 5a and 6c have started to form ties with their peers from Toledo.

We believe that the partnership should include as many pupils and teachers as possible, and become an important part of the school's culture. Therefore, we are working toward expanding it and are continually trying to add new aspects to the program.

Six classes from our school are active participants in the partnership, while the rest of the pupils are reporting on the activity and are contributing to its artistic aspect. At the same time, many teachers are also participating in the extensive activity: the English teacher - Ms. Ludmila Ruansky (who has a significant and extensive part in the activity), the science and technology teacher - Ms. Yehudit Shai, the art and music teacher - Ms. Aliza Masika, as well as six homeroom teachers: Ms. Shula Bitan, Ms. Rachel Samocha, Ms. Yehudit Assoulin, Ms. Anat Barbi, Ms. Yotah Muatti and Ms. Iris Alaluf.

The school principal, Ms. Matti Ziv, is a full partner in this endeavor, and is aware of all that is being done, encourages and supports, responds to every need and request, and provides a helping hand in finding creative solutions.

Mezuzah activity

One of the shared activities in which the students take part, is the mezuzah activity, initiated by Mr.Yehuda Peled.

Fifteen students from the Weizman school in Akko participated in this activity - students from Grades 4, 5 and 6 who have been holding reciprocal activities for two years now with the Akiva Academy, Abby Cutler - Program Director of Art for Israel, Yehuda Peled - in charge of the Partnership for Western Galilee and Rachel Samocha - partnership coordinator at the Weizman school.

Prior to the practical activity, we talked with the students about the mezuzah - what is it? What is its significance for us as Jews? Where it is found? What is its symbolic meaning?

Under the guidance of Avi Kotler, the students made half mezuzahs. They received colored stones and another component which they used as the mezuzah casing. They designed half mezuzahs using the stones, and each student wrote down his name on a card.

Later on we designed signposts on which we engraved the school name and left room for the twin school to engrave their name.

Yehuda Peled took the half mezuzahs with him to Akiva Academy. The pupils there will finish their part in designing the mezuzahs and inscribing their names on their cards and engraving their school name on the signpost.

Both halves of the mezuzahs will be sent to a factory to be assembled, connected, and strengthened.

Three mezuzahs will be given to the Akiva Academy in Ohio, and three will be given to the Weizman school in Israel. Each of the participating classes will have a mezuzah to decorate their classroom, a mezuzah jointly created by the Israeli and the American pupils.

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Fifty school twinnings- a class in the Western Galilee teams with a class in a day school or public school in the Central Area Consortium communities to learn a joint curriculum.

The Western Galilee College has exchanges and joint research with University of Nebraska-Omaha, Youngstown State University, University of North Texas, Consortium of Canton colleges, etc.